As a child Princess Wilhelmina watched as her kingdom got overtaken by the Indigo Kingdom and her parents and the rest of the nobility were killed. The children of the nobility, like Wilhelmina, were taken as orphans to live in the Indigo Kingdom’s capital. They broke out of the orphanage and for years have formed a group called the Ospreys who intend to take back their kingdom and give Wilhelmina her throne. The next phase of the plan becomes more dangerous and includes infiltrating the palace to gain more information which is a task for Wilhelmina and Melanie. With the wraith that has been destroying kingdoms moving closer to the kingdoms, the stakes are even higher.

OH MAN. Fans of action-packed and exciting YA fantasy with kickass ladies? Check this one out for sure!! I could NOT put it down. I’m usually pretty strict about getting to bed on time but I kept saying “just one more chapter” like 10 times before I finally could pry myself away from it (and that was only because of necessity to be functioning in the morning).

What had me up reading it so late??

1. ESPIONAGE & vigilante justice: I love espionage, you guys. I loved watching Wil and Melanie (who are badasses) infiltrate themselves into the palace posing as refugees of nobility from a kingdom that has been destroyed by the wraith. I loved watching them carefully learn what they needed to know and carry out tasks that would help them take back their kingdom all while in the comfort of their enemies home. There were those hold-your-breath type moments because there is ALWAYS the high risk of being caught. I also liked how she did begin to see some of her enemies as people as she got to know them. I think she understood that not everything was as black and white as she thought before. In addition to the espionage there is a character named Black Knife who is a complete unknown but this person goes around catching people who use magic and turning them in. Wil and her gang have crossed paths with him but she ends up face to face with him again. I love how his character is slowly unraveled and become more complex. Plus their relationship is interesting especially since he catches people who use magic and she USES it! If you haven’t read Orphan Queen yet… MAYBE skip this sentence if you want to go in 100% blind. (I TOTALLY CALLED WHO Black Knife was!!)

2. I love books where characters rise up to take back their kingdom: I’ve read 2 books in a row somehow where this was this case (Finnikin of the Rock was the other) and I LOVE IT. Wil’s family was killed. All the nobility was killed. Her kingdom was taken. She and many other children from the nobility families were spared but orphaned. I love how they broke themselves free and have been plotting FOR YEARS to take back their kingdom and give Wil her rightful place on the throne. I love the dynamics of the Ospreys — especially the one between a character who has become a leader within the group even though, when the kingdom is theirs, that Wil will be queen. At times I wondered how the orphans, being so young and cut off from the people that they are hoping to gather up to rebel with them, were going to pull it off but I think their resourcefulness from surviving all these years made them quite smart and cunning. Though at times I was confused with how many THINGS/missions they were involved in at the same time vs. how many people there were in the Ospreys. It seemed like they bit off more than they could chew and were stretched thin? Or that was my impression as of right now?

3. The magic element: Okay so the other side of this whole situation, besides taking back the kingdom, is that there is this wraith that is DESTROYING kingdoms and causing chaos and havoc. And it’s getting WORSE and closer to them. Some believe using magic is what causes it. This is why Wil’s kingdom was taken over because they wouldn’t sign the treaty that would cease the use of magic in their kingdom. To be honest, the wraith thing is a little confusing — I don’t really understand how it works or what causes it — but neither do the leaders of the kingdoms. Nobody TRULY understands it which makes it SUPER terrifying and detrimental to figure out how to stop it. There is a whole lot of unknown that they have to piece together to even have a chance. Wilhelmina magic is super interesting and I loved how as she used it, she begun to realize even MORE about her own magic and if somehow she can help stop the wraith.

4. THINGS that happen at the ending: I will not say anymore than MASSIVE CLIFFHANGER but basically I did a lot of THIS toward the end:

+ plot, page-turning abilities, twists– LIKED the characters but didn’t feel that surge of LOVE for them YET

Re-readability: I would maybe revisit as a refresher before book 2.Would I buy a copy for my collection? Maybe!

YA fantasy fans (esp maybe those who are newer to the genre or those who aren’t wanting a more DENSE fantasy series…this one is a duology plus novellas, I believe), people who like espionage and saving kingdoms, readers who like magic in their fantasy

The Orphan Queen was one I could NOT put down. There was so much to catch my interest and keep me reading — espionage, mystery man practicing vigilante justice, orphaned princess wanting to take back her kingdom, a bit of romance, magic, betrayals and shocking moments galore! It was an exciting read and I can’t wait for the second book. Think it’s totally the perfect book for newer fantasy readers because the setup isn’t AS slow or dense as some can be (from my experience thus far).

* Have you read this one? What did you think? Similar or different from me? I would LOVE to hear regardless!
*If you haven’t read it, does it feel like something you’d be into?
On a scale of 1-10 how much did you just lose it at the ending??